PUSAN NEW SELLER: Movie Plus sets sights on Asian production

Movie Plus Group, the international producer-distributor founded by French animation producer Jean Chalopin, is making its Asian market debut here in Pusan.

Chalopin, who has credits including animation series Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff and Dennis The Menace, was one of the founders of animation studio DIC, which originated in France and later expanded to the US and Japan.

His recently-created Movie Plus Group is located in the US, UK, France, Netherlands, Hong Kong and Beijing, with the Asian offices working on both animation and live-action productions.

The company produces content for cinema, TV, internet, games and mobile phones, with an emphasis on family entertainment.

Movie Plus' Asian team includes head of international co-production Jennifer Liu, who previously worked at Walt Disney Studios, and head of production Elliot Tong, who has worked for both Stephen Chow's The Star Overseas and Andy Lau's Focus Films.

At Pusan, the company is handling international sales on its own in-house productions, along with product from China Intercontinental Communication Centre (CICC) such as $5m TV series The Dunhuang Chronicles.

Directed by Chen Jia Lin, the 49x60-minute series recounts three periods in the history of the ancient city of Dunhuang, which is China 's gateway to the Silk Road.

Movie Plus is also selling CICC's upcoming action drama Rescuing Doolittle, based on a true story about US bombers on the day before Pearl Harbour, and comedy Hu Mai - Song Of The Fields, to be produced by Tuya's Marriage director Wang Quan'an.

Tong says he's also using the Pusan AFM as 'a soft launch for our new movie slate' which includes a live-action, CGI-enhanced animal movie Touch Of Panda and a feature version of Chalopin's hit animated series The Mysterious Cities Of Gold. Touch Of Panda, to be directed by Zhong Yu (Roots And Branches), is set to start shooting in Sichuan before the end of the year.

The company is also selling its in-house TV productions, including 3D animated series Tian Tian, which was produced at its China-based animation studios.

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